Motivation — I need my probation.
I never have really been into writing. But all the self-help books I read always gave me one advice. Write. And not just write anything. But, write my thoughts out. Apparently, it helps to clear one’s mind. You get a paper or a screen. It’s blank. And all you have is the pen or the keyboard keys staring at you, waiting for you to use it. And so, I decided it have-a-go at it. I decided to write. And hopefully, write consistently.
The decision was impulsive, I knew moments later. I had, unknowingly, taken up a resolution — a resolution to write for 30 days continuously, one blog post every day. But, since I never did achieve anything substantial in my life to brag about, I decided to write about the small things in my life that matter, well at least to me. And how these things are focused to cure the sins of my life, maybe? Well, we’ll see that.
One of my major inspiration in life is stupidly enough, a youtube channel run by someone called Matt D’Avella. This guy takes life as a challenge and sometimes, takes on these 30 days challenges, which surprisingly enough, is a good habit building exercise! So I decided, “Why not? Let’s give it a shot!”
And thus began a list of small things that I wanted to change in my life, the things that matter, the things that help save me from the sins of my life. And so, for time to come, I decided to write about the small things I took up, one by one, to make a change — And in this blog, I decided to write about my favorite pick of the lot — Running.
But why run?
I was always curious about seeing people run. Why do they run just like that? I associated running to a survival mechanism. You run when you feel threatened by an overpowering force. But when I think of it, it’s still the same. You run to save yourself from a threat — a threat of obesity, a threat of a weak pair of lungs, a threat of an unhealthy lifestyle, and it can go on and on. So I decided to do something similar. I took up a challenge to run 30km in my first month. Also, Matt also was a runner. And he stressed about it a lot.
But all of this was easier said than done. At the back of my mind, I knew it would be more difficult for me than most people. Because I was a smoker. Yeah, I started smoking since I was in college, from my second semester. It started with one drag, then two, then to one cigarette and as time went by, I was smoking up to 5 cigarettes a day, before a month. I tried convincing myself that I can still run without quitting smoking. After all, the army men smoke and they are, of course, way more fit than me.
Now coming to the basic necessities, I needed to buy certain things to start off. Luckily, I had my running shoes which were bought impulsively, just for the glamor. Also, I had my wireless earphones for my music. I called up my friend, a regular runner, for some tips. He asked me to get a pair of knee caps and a bottle to carry about 300ml of water and download the Nike Run Club (NRC) app for guided running. I also, got myself a fitness tracker, an Honor Band 5 to help me manage my runs efficiently. So with all things set and in proper order, it was time for my first run.
Day 1.
I remember, the program that I was enrolled in, in the NRC, was headed by Coach Bennett. It was a Sunday morning and I had to battle my way out of the bed. Good. The first milestone reached. I decided to run on the road near my apartment, just around the block. The distance I was supposed to cover was 2km. That should be easy. Or rather, that should have been easy.
As adviced by my friend, I had to take it slow, not rush and try to find my pace. I configured my fitness tracker, played my playlist and switched on GPS tracking on the NRC app and Strava and off I went. In the beginning, everything went well. I noticed my breathing had quickened but still in a manageable state. Of course, my body was not used to this sudden activity and increased heart rate. But I decided to be strong and keep up. After a while, I thought of taking a quick break and slow my pace up to a brisk walk. The distance covered, I felt, was good enough, and felt like 1 km. So checked my fitness band for confirmation, and well, I had only covered 700 meters.
700 fucking meters. I felt sure I had run more than a km. I felt pathetic. I was almost maxed out, my breathing was heavy and my fitness band mentioned my heart rate to be 175 +. I decided to run for 300 meters more, and then reduce my pace to a brisk walk. Trust me when I say this, the 300 meters felt a fucking lot. I decided to walk for 100 more meters and run the next 900 meters in a stretch. The 100 meters went by really quickly. I started getting my pace up and ran for 500 meters more. At this point, my lungs were burning. I could feel each drag of the cigarettes I smoked, but this time, not in the form of smoke, but in sweat and aches. I took to another 100 meters of brisk walking. My body was asking me to stop at each step I took. But, I started running, but with a much slower pace. I was completely out of breath by the time I finished running 2km. I went back home, and fell flat on the bed, trying to get my breath back.
It was tough. It was the toughest thing I had in my life so far. I never ever pushed my body to such an extent before. That day, I ran, for the first time in my life. And yes, I ran slow. Really slow, I clocked an average of 7' 49'/km or ~ 7.7 km/h. I realized that with smoking, I cannot ever run well. I quit smoking that day, to get better. I told myself that the day I run my first 5k, I’ll have a cigarette as a reward.
And then it began..
And so the days continued. With each run, I gained speed and distance. I learned the importance of warm-ups and cool-downs before and after a run. I learned a lot about my body, the capacities to which I can take it. I started getting comfortable being uncomfortable. I learnt about my pace, my stride length, the importance of hydration, and also, a few youtube videos made me realize the correct postures, foot landings, etc. The NRC app really helped me a lot. Thanks, Nike! I went on to run my first 3k, 4k, 5k and most recently, a record of 6k. I finished my 30-day challenge. That month, I ran a total of 37km. With the last run being a 6k. Yes, I had a cigarette as a reward. It actually felt like a reward, like I deserved it.
Its’ been almost a month and a half, and so far, I enrolled myself to a new plan on the NRC app with my same coach, Coach Bennett. I upgraded my plan to an intermediate plan. This is a 9-week program but this includes core body workout, which is challenging and different. The NRC app uses the support of Nike Training Club app to achieve this. This plan, at the end of 9 weeks, promises to cover a distance of 11.5km in a single run. Which I feel is a lot and that made me quit smoking altogether. I’m not sure how far I’ll go, but I wish to not stop.
To be continued…
So far, I’m one and a half months in. It feels good to run nowadays. I also got myself a monthly membership to a track, where I do my tempo and benchmark runs. For my long runs, I prefer to run on the footpaths in the early morning. Just recently, for the first time, in 6 weeks, I could not go for my run. It was a benchmark run and I missed it because I was ill with fever, thanks to the ever-changing weather. But apart from that, everything else is going as it should be. I am back up again and ran a 5k today. Though the pace was a little rusty from my end, I got through it.
Running is tough. At one point, it becomes more of a mental thing than a physical. I can’t say much, I’m still a beginner. But hopefully, one day, I’ll be able to run a half marathon, and if things go alright, who knows, maybe a full marathon too! But for the time being, I feel happy after my run. That feeling of achieving a target feels good and warm from inside. Also, running with the music on, makes me smile in tough situations. So now I know, how that endorphin rush feels like, or at least, I think I know.
I’d really like if we run together. Follow me on Strava and let’s cover some miles together!
